M. David StoneLexmark Z611The Lexmark Z611 offers reasonably good graphics and photo quality, but its main strength is its eye-catching price: $29.99 direct. Text is only fair, and speed is wanting, but it can serve as a home printer for occasional use.

Very slow on all types of output. Text quality is only fair. Requires manual alignment. Cartridge set costs more than the printer.

Bottom Line

The Lexmark Z611 offers reasonably good graphics and photo quality, but its main strength is its eye-catching price: $29.99 direct. Text is only fair, and speed is wanting, but it can serve as a home printer for occasional use.

Quality Ratings and Subratings

We use ratings to help highlight the strengths and weaknesses of printers and AIOs. Quality ratings use the same scale for all printers and AIOs. Text, Graphics, and Photo
quality separately, since how well a printer does on one type of output does not predict how it will do on another type. For the same reason, we rate Performance for Business Applications and for Photos separately. The Performance rating, are relative to all other
printers or AIOs in the same category at the time we test the printer or AIO.

We also rate the Usability of each printer or AIO, the Paper Handling capability, and the Value based on a comparison with other printers or AIOs in the same category,
with a Good (3) rating in each case indicating the norm for that category. For AIOs, we rate both the Range of functions, defined by how many functions the AIO offers, and
the Usability of those functions, defined by how easy those functions are to use. Finally, for dedicated photo printers and for ink jet printers that score at least a good (3)
rating for photo quality, we rate Photo Permanence based on manufacturer claims of lightfastness and exposed lifetimes, and we rate Water Resistance, based on our own testing. For more on these ratings, see our
How We Rate Printers and AIOs page.

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M. David Stone is an award-winning freelance writer and computer industry consultant. Although a confirmed generalist, with writing credits on subjects as varied as ape language experiments, politics, quantum physics, and an overview of a top company in the gaming industry. David is also an expert in imaging technologies (including printers, monitors, large-screen displays, projectors, scanners, and digital cameras), storage (both magnetic and optical), and word processing. He is a recognized expert on printers, well known within the industry, and has been a judge for...
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